The Reading Plan Daily Devotions

Solomon had been appointed to follow the greatest king in history, his father David. At the beginning of his reign, there was a beautiful exchange with the Lord.   SOLOMON’S PRAYER   In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; and God said, “Ask what you wish me to give you.” Then Solomon said, “You have shown great lovingkindness to Your servant David my father, according as he walked before You in truth and righteousness and uprightness of heart toward You; and You have reserved for him this great lovingkindness, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king in place of my father David, yet I am but a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. Your servant is in the midst of Your people which You have chosen, a great people who are too many to be numbered or counted. So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who ...

It is our worst trait and most natural tendency. Although God has made Himself abundantly known, we ignore Him and “worship and serve the creature and not the Creator” (Romans 1:25). Life becomes about us and not about Him. This diverted vision affects us in ways beyond our comprehension. It narrows our view and confines our lives. It is the source of all pettiness and selfishness. It is the sole source of our worry and fear.   When we lose sight of God we interpret all of life humanistically. We lose the eternal perspective and cannot possibly understand the meaning of all things … even the purpose of our own lives.   In the center of the Bible is the longest book, designed to lift our eyes to Him. The Psalmist calls us to praise Him in all things, in all places, in every way. In the final words of the Psalms (Psalm 148-150), the word “praise” is mentioned 33 times in 29 verses. There is no question about what we should be doing each and every day. Let the rich content of the...

We are most often the central subject of our thoughts and conversation. This preoccupation indicates a self-observed life which is our greatest problem. Worried about what people think of who we are, what we look like, and what we’ve done, we place the “I” in the forefront unconsciously. It is not wrong to think about ourselves if we do not forget the Divine pronoun. If we lose its usage or place it in the wrong order, we lose everything. THE RIGHT ORDER It was King David’s humility, seen in Psalm 139 and throughout his life, that led him to think of God first. We view this Psalm as if it is all about us. It has brought unbelievable comfort to millions for over 3,000 years. But that is because it is not about us, although we are involved. We are the secondary subject. As David’s praise spills out before God, the pronoun “You” or its equivalent is used 29 times in 24 verses. That’s because God is the primary subject. David measures himself only in light of God’s character and care. H...

We don’t get it. Lured by every worldly god, we run in multiple directions seeking life. Unsatisfied, we pursue more. But all our efforts will never yield the right results. We’re looking in the wrong direction.   Every genuine follower of Christ wants an undiluted life, free from the impurities and distractions that destroy us and pull us away from "simple, pure, devotion to Jesus Christ." But, what is the path to purity? Not just moral purity, but holiness in every dimension? Most people believe it comes by observing some rules, following some guidelines. But the secret lies in pursuing some one , not some thing .   OUR SINGULAR PURSUIT   David repeats a pronoun thirteen times in eight verses that give us the key. A vision consistently set on Christ alone is the secret! It is not pursuing holiness, but pursuing Him that leads to an undistracted life. Notice the word "You" or its equivalent in these verses.   Psalm 119 9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By ke...

  Each one of us is made of three parts: your body (which interacts with the world); your soul (which is your mind, emotions, and will), and your spirit (where you were created to connect with God.)   We have lived most of our lives on the soul level. What our mind thinks, our emotions feel, and our will decides directs our lives. When Christ comes to live within us, we have the capacity to listen to the Spirit and let Him lead. Our soul should become subservient to the Spirit's control.   David commands his soul to do something in  Psalm 103 . "Bless the Lord, O my soul," he says. We think we have no control over our minds, our emotions, and our will. But this is simply not true. We can command our soul to do the most important thing. And for David, that was first and foremost to lift his eyes upward and praise and honor God.   And it is all-inclusive. "Let ALL that is within me, bless His holy name." Every room, every closet, every arena of his soul was charge...

There are some choices that are more important than others. There is a marked difference between someone who has chosen God and listens and responds to His Word, and one who does not. The contrast and results are stark and staggering.   Nowhere is this clearer than in the opening chapter of the Psalms. These six verses are filled with simplicity, clarity, and promises—both positive and negative.   The Contrasting PRACTICE   Psalm 1 reminds us that every man or woman falls into one of two categories: they either live for what others say or cling to what God says. God’s description of these two types of people is stark: the wicked or the righteous. No one would categorize themselves as wicked, but God does. God’s judgment is that it is a wicked thing to ignore the One who created us. We could categorize them as godly versus ungodly.   The UNGODLY man... “Walks in the counsel of the wicked” “Stands in the path of sinners” “Sits in the seat of scoffers” (Psalm 1:1) ...